Knowing and Understanding Tequila

While still a relatively small category, tequila has been the distilled spirits industry's rising star for the past 15 years. With the exception of one year of slight decline, tequila has been gradually trending upward, picking up well over a million cases since 1985. To put that in some kind of perspective, the Scotch category lost more than seven million cases in the same period, on an admittedly much larger base. A good part of tequila's success can be attributed to the ongoing popularity of the Margarita, consumed either in bars and restaurants or, with the aid of some the outstanding mixes now on the market, at home. Of course that's all happened in the last few years. The history of tequila is one that stretches back to the early years of European conquest of Mexico and has its roots in the Aztec culture.

The Aztecs did not drink tequila, nor did they invent the Margarita. Not that they wouldn't have wanted to. Unfortunately they had not yet discovered the secret of distillation. However, the fierce and noble Aztecs were by no means teetotalers.

Their alcoholic beverage of choice, it was actually their only choice, was something called pulque by the Spaniards. This concoction was made by cutting of the flower stalk of the agave plant before it had a chance to bloom, then hollowing out the base of the plant and allowing the cavity to fill with sweet, milky plant sap. With no place to go, the juice would collect there and ferment into a sort of murky, foul-smelling wine.

The conquistadors brought grapes and grains with them and, in an attempt to recreate the alcoholic beverages popular in Europe, tried their hand at making beers, wines and brandies. But the agave plant thrives where grapes and grain won't - in semi-arid areas. The Spaniards didn't like the taste of pulque, and so they tried distilling it. After experimenting with different types of agave, they finally produced a drinkable spirit, which they called mezcal.

It's Made From Cactus, Right?

Many people mistakenly believe that tequila is made from a cactus. The confusion is common because various agave species are often confused with cacti. The main difference is that the leaves of agave plants are succulent rather than, in the case of cacti, the stems.

About 125 years ago, several of the distillers around the town of Tequila in the central Mexican state of Jalisco began making a superior form of mezcal. They used the whole heart of a specific variety of agave indigenous to the region: the blue agave. Today only spirits made within the confines of this region can bear the name tequila. If produced elsewhere, it must be called mezcal.

These days, the blue agave is no longer a wild plant, but has become a carefully cultivated species upon which the local economy depends. On average, agave plants are about 10 years old before they can be harvested for tequila production. The juicy core of the plant, which resembles a large pineapple, is harvested. Called the pina (Spanish for pineapple), the core, which sometimes weighs upwards of 100 pounds, is trimmed, cut into chunks, then baked in huge steam ovens. A sweet juice (aguamiel or honey juice) is extracted by steaming and compressing the pina. The juice is fermented for several days and then distilled at low proof. It is then double distilled to a powerful 110 proof. Some tequilas also undergo a third distillation. Tequila as consumed in Mexico is unaged and usually bottled at 80 to 86 proof. Almost all that is exported is 80 proof.

Going For The Gold

Unlike a grape or grain distillate, such as brandy or whiskey, tequila is virtually free of congeners, so aging is not that important. White, also called silver, tequila is drawn into vats after distilling and bottled as needed.

However, some producers do age tequila in seasoned 50-gallon white oak casks imported from the United States. In aging, tequila becomes golden in color and acquires a pleasant mellowness without altering its inherent taste characteristic. Some tequila producers also add a dose of caramel coloring to the aging tequila to achieve a darker coler.

According to law, tequila designated anejo must be aged at least one year in wood. If it is aged from two to four years it can be called muy anejo. Many brands with this designation are aged in small oak barrels for at least three years and sometimes up to seven . Some connoisseurs consider anejo tequila to be like cognac and they drink it neat from a snifter.

Another designation appearing on some tequila labels is reposado, which translates literally from Spanish as reposed or rested and means that the tequila has been barrel-aged to acquire its color.

What About The Worm?

Some mezcal is produced with an agave root worm in the bottle as a mark of authenticity. However, only a small percentage of this type of mezcal is actually exported from Mexico. Various legends attribute great strength to anyone brave enough to gulp it down. Great aphrodisiacal powers are also attributed to consumption of the worm. But the worm is unique to mezcal, and not found in tequila.

There is also some confusion over the words mezcal and mescal. The first is the distilled spirit made from the agave plant but originating outside of the delineated boundaries of the Tequila region. The second is the name of a Mexican cactus which is the source of the hallucinogen, mescaline.

Edited from:
Knowing and Understanding Distilled Spirits
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